This is the heroic and inspiring story of how Germany achived her place in the sun under the leadership of Ulver, or as he prefree to be called: The Überallesumdieganzenweltkommandant.

Well, I hope. Alternatively it is going be the embarrassing tale of how Warspite kicked my ass.

This is definitely not going to be a move-by-move AAR. Partly I’m far too lazy to write one that way and partly I just don’t find them terrible interesting to read. Nor is the aim to make it easier for new players to understand the game mechanics. If someone learns to play better from reading this so much the better but that is not the goal. First and foremost it should be readable and entertaining. I will describe events in broad strikes and focus on explaining my thinking in strategic terms as well as point out amusing little anecdotes

So what is the super secret plan? Well, if I told people about it wouldn’t really be super secret would it? It is a little premature to reveal the nitty gritty details but here is a basic outline of my thinking before the first move is made.

Make more use of low maintenance, high purchase cost units when feasible. One example of this kind of thinking is to relay more on armored trains due to their low maintenance cost and low manpower requirements: Oddly enough they seem pretty good garrisons to me. Better stats then actual garrision armies and much lower upkeep

Make more use of sea power, use the German amphibious transport capacity, first and foremost in the Baltic but why not see if it can be put to use in the Adriatic and even the Med?

Since the house rules prevents me from scrapping my fleets I thought I might as well take them out for a spin – expect to see lots of navel actions if this turns out as planned. I confess I always dreamed of a 1915 sea lion, in many ways much more plausible then the 1940 version – this time we have the German High Seas Fleet

With the new navel tweak hopefully subs are a worthwhile investment, I especially note the low upkeep. I shall be building lots of those trying to reduce conveys: Without actually sinking any and provoking the US into the war..

House rules: Just one airship pr side. Our last game ended in the utter demolition of the Ruhr by a massive British aerial bombardment. Very “Sky Captain and the world of tomorrow” stuff but not very realistic. I expect that game had some influence on the adaptation of this house rule. Even so I shall be watching the skies carefully this time.

House rule: No scrapping of fleets. Frankly not sure the rule is needed with the much lower cost of Navel maintenance with the Beta Patch but I confess freely that last time I played warspite I disbanded every ship in sight in order to build the aforementioned balloon armada and, well, some people might consider that slightly gamy

August 1st 1914. Austria declares war on Serbia, destroy a Serbian garrison corps at the border and then proceeds to do…….nothing.

The initial Balkan strategy of the central powers consisted of declaring war on Serbia and then railing the bulk of Austrian troops facing her away towards the Russian frontier. Sneaky isn’t it?

Don’t get me wrong. I usually like nothing better than beating up on smaller weaker powers and I plan on doing a lot of it before finally achieving my dream of a place in the sun for Germany. Beating up on small nations really emphasizing the sheer fun of warfare: The plunder, pillage and rapine. Good times.

Megalomania is however tempered by cowardice – or as I like to call it, natural caution, in this case I fear Russia more then I desire a quick victory over Serbia. As the German prepares their hammer blow against France my greatest worry is that the Russian bear will go on the rampage and to prevent that I need to bolster Eastern defenses to guard against that risk.

To hold the frontier with a minimum of forces I’m counting on two factors. One is Psychology; it is assumed the Serbians will be reluctant to leave their excellent well prepared defenses to venture into open ground. The other is the excellent German-Austrian rail network that should allow me to react to any eventual Serbian advance by quickly sending reinforcements to the front and fight the Serbians in exposed open ground rather than force me to assault well prepared defensive positions.

Counting on the weak East Prussian garrisons and the bulk of the Austrian-Hungarian army to keep the Russians busy Germany unleashes the Schlieffen Plan – sort of. As it turns out it quickly develops more into a kind of “race for the coast” plan where the emphasis is on quickly sizing Calais and Roun. This is based on a “targets of opportunity” approach were I have the options to attack garrisons there before they entrench.

France presents the Central Powers with their one chance to win the war outright in 1914 and I’m certainly going to land the knock-out punch if I can. At the same time I’m still naturally cautious so while Paris is the ultimate objective I’m not going for the “Paris or Bust” all-out approach. Second best result is control of the channel ports and a defensive lines behind rivers that allows me to entrench in an impenetrable position and concentrate my offensive combat power against someone else..

September 3rd 1914: The heroic defenders of Antwerp holds out while the battle for France rages

The German submarines go hunting for British troop transports, while I have another mission for the German High Seas fleet as The Germanic Empire plans her first amphibious landing.....

Warsaw was burning. The cone of it was a ruddy glow on the darkening eastern horizon, matching the huge copper disk of the setting sun in the west. The firestorm gave a smoky taste to the wind, a hint of that sulfur-tinged darkness, the taste of death.Germanys road to world power – a personal perspective by the Überallesumdieganzenweltkommandant Berlin State Press 1921

By far the bloodiest fighting in 1914 is on the Eastern Front where central Poland turns into a slaughterhouse. Three times in quick succession Warsaw changes hands accompanied by the total destruction of its defending corps. Losses on both sides are staggering and only the fact that Austria-Hungary preemptively moved most of her forces facing Serbia blunts repeated Russian offensives. By the time the 3rd battle of Warsaw ends 6 Russian, 3 Austrian and one German army has been destroyed.

October 15th 1914 – A German armored train retakes Warsaw for – hopefully – the last time.

While the rate of attrition is technically in my favor I simply can not afford to keep feeding men into the meat grinder at this rate both East and West. With no strategic reserves a Serbian offensive remains a recurrent nightmare for central command. Clearly a way must be found to distract the Bear before I run out of army.

With high intensity war being waged everywhere, except oddly enough at the Austrian-Serbian border where the whole thing started, I really need to find a way to distract the Russians. It occurs to me that the German Navy complete dominates the Baltic’s and the vast German merchant fleet provides plenty of opportunity for seaborne transport. A cruiser recon shows the Russian Imperial at Skt Petersburg being undefended so I decide on a daring plan…

September 3rd 1914. A German invasion force prepares to disembark while the Russian fleet is safely pent up.

I know from bitter experience that the Russian rail transport capacity is non-existent from the start so unless there are Russian reinforcements due to arrive next turn the Tsar may have a fairly significant problem. Is this it? Am I about to size the Russian capital in 1914 winning the war with one daring brilliant move?

Alas No. A defending force is hastily scraped together before the German troops get a chance to land. Refusing to do my own version of a Gallipoli style opposed landing plans are quickly changed.

October 1st 1914. The liberation of Finland begins

It’s not a total loss. Capturing Helsinki forces him to garrison his capital lest I build up an artillery equipped follow-up landing force in Finland. It also Deprives him of production and its harbor will provide a combat bonus in future engagements in the Gulf of Finland. I did promise I’d make much more aggressive use of my sea power did I not?

Indeed, this might be the best opportunity to do serious damage to the CP navy. You could probably sortie and pound the German battleship. Sure you'll take casualties in any counter attack, but only at a disproportionate cost to the CP, and you'll almost certainly survive to retreat back to port if you're afraid of losing your BB.

Indeed, this might be the best opportunity to do serious damage to the CP navy. You could probably sortie and pound the German battleship. Sure you'll take casualties in any counter attack, but only at a disproportionate cost to the CP, and you'll almost certainly survive to retreat back to port if you're afraid of losing your BB.

warspite1

But am I likely to win a battle - even if I hit first - against both the BB and the CA?

_____________________________

England expects that every man will do his duty. Horatio Nelson - October 1805

We are undone by enemy espionage!! No doubt acting on advice from traitors in my midst or from intelligence obtained from loss lipped mistresses the Russian navy sorties and severely damages the German High Seas Fleet at blockading stations at the Gulf of Riga. My proud dreadnoughts are eventually force to flee in disgrace to the safety of Königsberg.

Needless to say the Überallesumdieganzenweltkommandant has a screaming fit accusing his incompetent underlings of mangling his visionary brilliant navel war plans.

Things go from bad to worse. The Austrian cruiser squadrons have been sent raiding into the Eastern Mediterranean looking for merchant shipping and British troop transports. Initially all goes well with damage being inflicted on unescorted British transports at the mouth of the Nile but then a combined British-French navel force shows up and inflict a crippling defeat on the Austrians. For the next few turns the Austrians flee desperately being chased by Anglo-French naval forces eventually being intercepted and destroyed at the mouth of the Adriatic.

October 15th 1914: Brilliant navel war plans being undone by incompetent admirals – they should all be shot!!

Incandescent with rage I order top priority for the repair of the German Dreadnoughts. No – don’t talk to me about the battle for France being in a critical phase or rumors of an impending Serbian advance into a completely undefended Balkans. I SAID TOP PRIORITY. I WANT MY BATTLEFLEET BACK! Grandmother Victoria always had more ships then I did and it was so unfair.

Calmed somewhat by the repair estimates as well as the construction of more U-boats I turn my thoughts to plotting a terrible and just revenge for the outrages perpetrated against my navy forces....

Losing an Austrian Cruiser squadron is bad enough but losing a navel engagement with German dreadnoughts against the Russians is intolerable. A just retribution must be extracted. Fortunately I have just the weapon to do so in the form of the Austrian (Balloon) bomber command. The Kaiser had wanted to build swarms of zeppelins himself until informed that the airship non proliferation treaty prohibited each side in a war from having more than one and since the Austrians began construction of theirs the day they declared war on Serbia Germany was not allowed to construction any of their own.

Forced to console himself with the thought of the armadas of U-boats he plans to build instead The Kaiser is delighted with reports of the demoralizing effect bombing is having on the Russians

October 1st 1914: Brest-Litovsk is the first city to suffer a strategic bombardment.

No I haven’t gone stark raving mad building an Austrian Airship rather than a higher tech German one. I wanted to build it on the first turn to ensure that I got to inflect the “terror bombardment” penalty on my opponent rather than the other way around. Also needed the build points for the Germans more than the Austrians.

By Late September the opening battle for France had entered its critical phase with the left flank of the German advance brushing the channel and crossing the Seine. For awhile it really looked like it might be possible to size Paris and win the war decisively “before the leaves fell.”

In the end the Helmuth Molkte the younger hesitated. Armchair generals would endless debate if doing so needlessly prolonged the war and deprived the Central Powers of an early victory but at the times there were reasons.

A ferocious British counterattack just south of Roun massively supported by navel bombardment threw me back across the Seine in confusion, destroying the advanced garrison and firmly closing the door to outflanking Paris to the West

The thought of a British landing in force around the fortress of Antwerp was a recurrent nightmare, potentially presenting Germany with the prospect of an untenable position and retreat all the way to Brussels.

Despite the presence of German troops in Finland the Russians kept up the pressure in the East and there remained the constant risk of a sudden Serbian advance.

The final straw was the French retreat from Verdun, shortening the front considerable and presenting me with the enticing prospect of a Western front fortified entirely behind rivers. Even better – large sections of the front would consist of railways, allowing it to be cheaply fortified by armored trains and dramatically reducing garrisoning costs.

I was painfully aware that reducing the fortress cities of Verdun and Antwerp would take time and considerable forces and found myself in the position of a gambler more eager to hang on to his gains then risk everything on a winning throw.

October 29th 1914. The Western front freezes into stalemate. It would take repeated assaults supported by artillery to reduce Antwerp and later Verdun

At the end of the day I feel fairly satisfied. The constant threat of a sudden offensive forces the entente to garrison the front in force least the French capital falls victim to a sudden massive offensive. My capture of the channel ports allows for U-boat raids and I can disrupt French production by means of assaulting or bombarding the city.

In the near Orient a new powerful new empire joins the Central Powers bringing with it the promise to set the whole Mohammedan world alight with holy war.

October 1915. Time to put on a Fez in celebration of our gallant new allies joining the fight against the Slavic hordes and the decadent democracies.

The Ottoman war leader, Enver Pasha, orders immediate offensives in all directions. An epic trek across the Sinai desert to liberate the faithful in Egypt from British oppression and an equally ambitious strike towards central Asia to unite the Turkmenish people under the banner of pan- Turkism. Never mind the fact that the Ottoman Empire does not possess Industrial Warfare technology, the fighting spirit of the believers will make up for it – not to mention the Damascus steel in our scimitars. Onwards!!!!

November 12th 1914. The Yildirim offensive strikes at the lifeline of the British Empire.

In the near Orient a new powerful new empire joins the Central Powers bringing with it the promise to set the whole Mohammedan world alight with holy war. October 1915. Time to put on a Fez in celebration of our gallant new allies joining the fight against the Slavic hordes and the decadent democracies.

Sometimes I fear my enemies doesn’t show the Fez clad scimitar armed warriors of the dreaded Ottoman Empire the respect they deserve. In this case, sadly, their levity is not entirely unfounded as the heroic would-be liberators of Suez gets mowed down by machine guns as they stagger out of the desert. The Yildirim offensive turns out to be, well, a bit of a bust really.

After a series of brutal defeats in Sinai Ottoman forces retreat to a strong defensive line centered on Gaza. Despite repeated attacks supported by murderous navel gunfire the line holds there – for now. German aid is promised, including troops. Hopefully the Berlin – Bagdad railroad can be opened in time to bring much needed reinforcements.

February 1915. The Ottomans digs in while frantically researching industrial warfare technology hoping to get machine guns before they are overrun.

Sometimes I fear my enemies doesn’t show the Fez clad scimitar armed warriors of the dreaded Ottoman Empire the respect they deserve. In this case, sadly, their levity is not entirely unfounded as the heroic would-be liberators of Suez gets mowed down by machine guns as they stagger out of the desert. The Yildirim offensive turns out to be, well, a bit of a bust really.

warspite1

Listen ulver ol' son - you don't mess with the thin Khaki line okay?

_____________________________

England expects that every man will do his duty. Horatio Nelson - October 1805

Meanwhile the Army of Islam striking towards the Caucasus does achieve some limited success capturing the crucial objective of Sarikamish before running into well-dug in Russian defenders. After a few months of fighting in the orient stalemate seems to be the result in this theater of operations as it is everywhere else.

February 1914. Clearly Sarikamish is a prize worth all the sacrifices being asked of the people of the empire in the Great War

Everywhere except the Serbian front that is, where the Serbs finally tire of the waiting game. By November they launch a brutal all out offensive against Temeschburg, easily overwhelming the defending garrison and pushing the relief army send to break the siege back in the direction of Klausenburg

After that the offensive picks up speed as the Serbs decide to knock out the Austrian-Hungarian Empire out by themselves by capturing one of the twin capitals of the empire. Reinforcements are rushed to the defense of the city. Is this a moment of grave peril for the Central Powers?

Actually the Serbian offensive suits the Central Powers High Command just fine as the strategic decision to wind down the French offensive was taken at this time and plans were being laid to assault the massively entrenched formidable Serbian defenses. The idea of fighting a mobile battle of meeting engagements instead doesn’t overly worry von Hindenburg and his elite force of German crack troops send to deal with the situation.

December 10th 1914. Perhaps the Serbians assume that Germany will not be able to launch a sustained counteroffensive in freezing winter. If so they are mistaken.